Linda Lowen, 46, Jamesville

A former radio/television producer and talk show host, Linda Lowen has spent the last eight years giving her opinion on practically everything -- except the movies.

Yet even in high school, a love of film drove her, literally. Road trips to nearby cities unearthed offbeat movies neglected by small-town cinemas.

Not everyone shared that love. As yearbook editor-in-chief, she alienated hundreds by transforming the traditional facebook into a movie-themed tribute to classic Hollywood films. Students and teachers were equally annoyed by photos of sports, clubs, even academics tagged with movie titles.Lowen didn't stop until she was a card-carrying member of AFI (American Film Institute).

Today, her tastes remain quirky. Try to categorize the mind that ricochets from "Romancing the Stone," Akira Kurosawa's "Dreams," "V for Vendetta," "Holiday Inn" with Bing Crosby, "Requiem for a Dream," the Kubrick/Spielberg hybrid "AI" and Warren Beatty's "Shampoo."

Fantasy is her Achilles' heel. She was first in line to see Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring." And she's still hoping Sting will greenlight the adaptation of a book he's held film rights to since 1983 -- Mervyn Peake's dark gothic "Gormenghast" trilogy. (Right. Like anyone else would watch that.)